Kelsey: Bebb Case Shows Need for Judicial Reform

Sen. Brian Kelsey writes in the Chattanooga Times Free Press this week that the case of Steve Bebb, former district attorney for Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties, “shows the need for judicial reform in Tennessee.” Bebb, who resigned yesterday, had faced allegations of misusing his office, though investigations by the TBI, Senate Judiciary Committee and Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) failed to lead to any charges. Kelsey, who filed the BPR complaint, nonetheless concluded that “the mechanisms we have in place for disciplining corruption and unethical behavior in Tennessee are not working.” He recommends two specific reforms: giving the attorney general the power to prosecute all cases of public corruption and changing how the attorney general is selected.